Northeastern Ontario will receive around $5.6 million from the $100 million in new funding the province has announced for home care.
The bulk of the funding will be used to enhance care for clients with high needs, but $20 million is being set aside for caregiver respite, so family members who provide care for loved ones can get the rest they need to provide the best care they can.
In total, the new funding will translate, the province said in a news release, into 350,000 additional hours of nursing care; 1.3 million additional hours of personal support; 600,000 additional hours of respite services for caregivers, and; 100,000 additional hours of rehabilitation.
Approximately $4.4 million of the northeast's $5.6-million share is earmarked to expand services for high-needs clients. These individuals will receive care that includes nursing, personal support and, therapy services (for example, physiotherapy and occupational therapy).
Another $1.2 million will go to caregiver respite. In-home respite support includes personal care (bathing, dressing, grooming), and medication assistance so that caregivers can ideally take some time for themselves.
This additional funding is part of Ontario’s 2015 Budget commitment to increase investments in home and community care by more than $750 million over three years.
These initiatives support the commitments made in Patients First: A Roadmap to Strengthen Home and Community Care, the province’s plan to improve and expand home and community care.
